Study reveals Louisiana State Police uses force disproportionately against Black people

It’s not the NYPD or LAPD that’s the news for using excessive force but the Louisiana State Police Department. In cases where women have been dragged on the pavement by a cop with a chip in his shoulder to the fact that cops chase after whomever is speeding, only the numbers tell the tale.

Louisiana comprises 31% black residents but accounts for almost double that amount in acts of force incidents waged by police. In a state known for its criminal statistics, it’s important to say there is a line that connects the seemingly racist acts by police.

Almost a thousand occurrences where use-of-force had been employed against blacks took place from 2022-2024.

This is alarming and shows the distance between policeman and citizen. There should be outrage at the idea that whites, who make up 61% percent of Louisiana’s population, only accounted for 23% of any incident.

State Police Public Affairs commander Capt. Russell Graham pointed out that the numbers aren’t a “fair depiction of [their] stats.” He holds that cops are on the beat to patrol and stop as many speeders as possible. The single role of the police is to protect individual rights. There should be no thought that use-of-force should even enter a police officer’s mind unless they or someone or someone’s property is in danger.

Otherwise, they should just keep the peace and know just how much they can serve the community. Data is always key. You can argue ideas but you can’t argue facts. The notion that the cop is jury, judge, and executioner is still a main concern for the people of Louisiana and elsewhere.

There is a deep-seated mistrust for law enforcement for this particular reason. In everything, there’s a way to look at how Foundational Black Americans (FBA) and American Indians were three times more likely to be involved in a use-of-force incident.

This must change. The reality is that most of these people are not going against cops and some may not even be breaking the law.

The state of Louisiana is an example of where police departments can go awry. There’s definitely a sense that the clutches of the law have missed the real miscreants and have allegedly gone after citizens who abide by the law.

In the entire state, the disparity of cases where force had been used is abysmal. What accounts for it? It’s kind of like Capt. Graham mentioned, the numbers don’t exactly represent the entire picture. He is confident that with the inundation of technology and the increased measures to train officers, there will be an opening up of numbers that will reflect his role of patrolling the highways.

That’s the safety that comes with the idealism of the police force. In the name “police force” it is implied that they should use the latter term. But that’s not the case. A COP is a Citizens on Patrol. Louisianans should hold their state police department accountable for all its misdeeds. Black white or other, everyone deserves due process of the law. No matter the skin color, this should be the number one ticket punched by those who have sworn to serve and protect the people of the great state of Louisiana.

Even with better technology including cameras and drones, there will still be crime and there will also be miscarriages of justice. It doesn’t matter if you’re in search of a better place to live in the state or wish to know your rights, cops should be there to safeguard your rights including private property rights. That is the distinction of using force and being a guardian with means to use force.